not aggressive, but cautious

I just brought home my blue and gold macaw last night. (thinking of name) The last owners did not do a lot with her, but she is handlable...but nervous about it all.

She'll let me pet her, but she will not step up, she wouldn't do it for her last owner either...she squawks and bites....or goes to where you cannot reach her.
It seems to me, she simply got used to doing this, got her way, and now won't let anyone make her step up. I think her previous owners were a little afraid of her....even after having her for 16 years.

She is sweet, just doen't know a lot. So, training needs to be done.

When is the best time to start? I have her coming to me by handing her a walnut, and just talking to her, and she lets me pet her. But she is nervous and trembles sometimes.

The last owner's mother lived in the house, and while I was there, she would poke at the bird, and if she bit at her, she waved fingers in her face, poked her more and then began to swat at her with a napkin. This made me angry and I thought..."No wonder she bites!"

So, I know I need time and patience with her ... but what are some good small techniques that you may have used to get respect from your macaws....because I think the main thing here is, she doesn't believe she has to respect people....but also, just doesn't know any better either.

when on the floor, she runs away and will not step up....screams and bites me, and I do not want to chase her around. In order to get her into the cage last night for bed, I had to put gloves on and grab her to put her in. I hate to do that to her, but I had no choice. I can't leave her out on top of her cage all night.

This seems to be our only obstacle at the moment, is the step up.

Hello and welcome. I sounds like you need to step back a little and start over. What I mean is you need to enter into a bonding process as if she were just a babe. I would not put her in a position where you have to chase her. It is ok to leave her in the cage until she seem to be interested in you and the environment.
Suggest you leave the cage door open and be nearby. Talk to her in a soft gentle tone, read to her, sing to her or anything else she seems to like. She will need to accept you as a flock member and that may take a while (as in months) since she was mistreated by other people. You can try to get her to step up on a perch after she is more used to you. Let her cage be her territory. Let her make decisions that do not effect her overall safety. With any new bird one should seek out an avian vet visit.
Please do not be in a hurry for the bird to accept you and her new home. It will take time. We are here for you should you have more concerns.

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SB

That's exactly what I'm doing. She is sitting quietly for today, and I'm talking to her, singing, come over for a pet and a treat, nothing else. I'm not pushing her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She's out on the top of her cage with the door open and everything has been her choice to do....
but if I can't get her to go in an night....I suppose I'll try to have her step up on a perch....that's where the trouble is. She wants to be out, not stuck in, so I'm letting her do that. But at some point....I have to get her back inside for the night.
I guess it is hard, because as a new owner, you want to be friends right away....but the bird has other ideas at first. I don't mind waiting out the bonding period....I'm aware of all of that.
Thank you so much for your help.

Reading you note again and thinking your bird may be hand shy from the previous owners. If that is the case then the perch would be good to try to get her back in the cage. How is she with toys? You have the entire world of parrots to explore with her and she has you to bond with. Most important have fun with all if it. You will do well.

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SB

Thank you so much.
So, her name is Holly.

I had her sitting out today and had to put her in to take my cat to the vet. So, I used a dowel to get her to step up on.... thank goodness it wasn't my hand because she nailed it hard as soon as it touched her breast. She screamed at it and bit.
So I took it away and talked to her then tried again, by the third time (and bite) she stepped backward from it, then I pushed up with it, she yelled, and then stepped up onto it and I got her into the cage without much trouble.

so, when we are ready to work on step up a little more, we will use the dowel until the biting stops. But we'll give it a few days first.

SB, what about this for an idea?.........Natalie, Im not an expert and I dont own a macaw but my parrot was pretty much the same with me when I got him. I have had him for just over a year and he never has his cage closed - he was in a petshop for 3 months and hated being "cooped" up. What your doing is great, dont get in his face and remember that he isnt used to the quality attention - its like a child who has been abused and then shies away from physical contact. I used to leave the cage open and then at night gently begin to cover his cage - Im not meaning throwing the blanket over but moving from the back which made him automatically move towards the entrance of his cage. He would then go in and I would be able to let the blanket slide over the other side. Let SB comment on this first before attempting to do it - if it sounds logic to you. I would hate for it to scare your macaw further. I just thought I would share it with you - it worked for me.

Covers are good for nervous birds. Suggest you check out the birds reaction to any type of cover (towel) first. Hold it in your hands, have it near Holly but go very slow with any covers. You may end up freaking Holly out more. One step at a time with a nervous bird. Each day try a little something new with her for bonding. Hand feeding her is a great way to start. If she bites you need to relax and not to react if you can. Use your palm when trying to feed her some soft mush like warmed oatmeal.
Have a peaceful night and send more photos.

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SB

It souns like a good idea....and I have not tried a cover on her yet because whenever the other owners moved her, they would throw a towel over her, wrap her in it, and then move her.....
UGH
So I'm not sure if trying to cover her cage would be a good idea or not .... I hate to try and then see it scare her or stress her out....

I can honestly say, she has not seemed all that stressed, scared, or nervous throughout today. She seems more or less like she just wants people to leave her alone. ... Which makes me sad .... Too much attention seems to make her grouchy.... So I've been giving it in small doses.
Here, have a nut...walk away
Hi baby! .... walk away
"Pet??" Pet under her wings...walk away
And that has been the day.

She did bite me good on my thumb once she decided enough petting at one point....so something we will both have to learn to deal with.

What you are doing now is just fine. If Holly wants to be left alone so be it. They are flock animals so she will not want to be alone for long. Let her come to you. She will in her own time.
I am signing off for now.

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SB

Hi Natalie
SB and Ecclipe have given some great tips.
Found an interesting link about macaw's, you might be interested in.
Great info giving lots of training tips, biting etc.
Good luck
Bye for now

Blue Gold Macaw Facts

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Take care, and a that of our feathered friends !